Kimba the White Lion King?

If you’re old enough to have grown up watching Kimba the White Lion, you’ve probably noticed it bears some similarity to Disney’s The Lion King. And if you’re geeky enough to read this blog, you probably already know there’s some controversy over whether The Lion King is an unauthorized remake of Kimba . . . or perhaps a tribute, consciously or unconsciously. From Wikipedia:

In 1994, controversy arose over the possible connection of Disney’s animated feature The Lion King with Kimba the White Lion. Fans in Japan and the U.S. called for the Disney company to acknowledge the use of characters and situations from the Japanese production in the Disney movie. The situation has remained a controversy due to the Disney Company’s statement that no one in the company had heard of Kimba until after The Lion King was released — in spite of the fact that people related to the production of The Lion King had referred to “Kimba” as the main character of The Lion King.

FlashFlood27 has posted a video to YouTube, so let’s review:

Kimba was my first cartoon love. When I was five years old, and we moved from New York to California, I comforted myself by drawing pictures of Kimba sleeping in my room, keeping me company in our new home. I loved loved loved his sweet girlfriend Kitty (whom I now find embarrassingly saccharine, but I digress) . For years, I wouldn’t watch The Lion King, on the general principle that it sounded like a Kimba rip-off, even before I heard others talking about the controversy.

If you’re feeling nostalgic for Kimba all of a sudden, you might find yourself tempted to pick up the feature film Jungle Emperor Leo. But if you do, be warned . . . it’s not a comforting movie for small kids. I learned that the hard way.